Dover, McDonald and Seidel Lead the Rankings So Far for the FEI World Cup Finals

USA's top dressage riders are battling to earn the right to represent the United States in the FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2005, which will be held alongside the FEI Budweiser World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas, NV, April 20-24, 2005. The FEI World Cup Finals 2005 in Las Vegas will mark the first time that the two FEI World Cup Finals will be held together.

Leading the way in the U.S. League Dressage World Cup rankings are 2004 Athens Olympic Bronze Medal teammates Robert Dover of Lebanon, NJ; Debbie McDonald of Hailey, ID; and Guenter Seidel of Del Mar, CA. Dover and Seidel each have two mounts in the top six in the rankings.

Dover has won more dressage honors than any other American competitor. He is a veteran of six Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004), winning Team Bronze medals in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004. He was also a World Championship Team Bronze medalist in 1994. In 1988, he finished fourth in the World Cup Final.

McDonald became the first U.S. rider to hold the title of FEI World Cup Dressage Champion when she won the FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden aboard Brentina. Brentina, McDonald’s Athens Olympic mount, is owned by Parry and Peggy Thomas of Las Vegas, NV. The Thomas & Mack Center, the venue for the FEI World Cup Finals 2005, is named for Parry Thomas.

Seidel is no stranger to world-class dressage competition. He was also a member of the 1996 and 2000 Bronze medal U.S. Olympic Dressage teams. In 2003, he won the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final and went on to place third in that year’s FEI World Cup Dressage Final.

Provided they meet the minimum average score requirements, the top 12 riders in the U.S. League rankings will be eligible to compete in the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final at the Festival of the Horse CDI*** in Burbank, CA, April 1-3, 2005. The top two finishers in the U.S. League Final will go on to represent this country in the FEI World Cup Dressage Final. There is a possibility that a third rider from the U.S. League Final may be allowed to compete in the World Cup Final in Las Vegas.

The qualifying season will continue in March and promises to showcase fierce competition from all riders who hope to earn the right to represent the U.S. in the FEI World Cup Final against some of the world’s strongest competition amidst the backdrop of Las Vegas.

The FEI World Cup Dressage Final will come to the United States in 2005 for only the second time ever when it joins the jumping final in an unprecedented co-hosting of two of the world’s most prestigious and glamorous equine events. First held in 1986, the FEI World Cup Dressage Final was previously held in the U.S. in 1995 in Los Angeles. Germany and The Netherlands have dominated the competition, winning six titles each through 2004.

The return of the FEI World Cup Dressage Final to the United States is sure to provide a huge boost to the sport, just as the hosting of the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas in 2000 and 2003 helped increase that discipline’s popularity.

The FEI World Cup Jumping Final, started in 1979, is an annual showdown among the world’s best jumping horses and riders. Approximately 45 riders qualify from 13 leagues around the world. In the 26 finals held through 2004, United States riders have emerged with the most titles, having won the championship seven times. This will mark the sixth FEI World Cup Jumping Final to be held in the United States, following finals in Baltimore in 1980, Tampa in 1989, Del Mar, CA in 1992 and the two in Las Vegas in 2000 and 2003.

Las Vegas Events, Inc. (LVE), is a non-profit company whose mission is to produce and sponsor events that drive tourism to Southern Nevada. A variety of individual and all-session ticket packages are available for the FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals 2005. Special pricing is available for those interested in attending both events.

For more information on the FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals 2005, please call Las Vegas Events, Inc., at (702) 260-8605 or visit the official website at www.worldcuplasvegas.com.